Post-college graduation is an excellent time for you to start traveling. You have a great education and the means to make some money. You might not set off on your travels right away, but maybe you’re desperate to start making some trips. The only problem is, you might not be making too much money after college. Plus, many people have mountains of debt they have to overcome. So if you want to travel after college, how can you afford it? Fortunately, you have lots of options to make travel affordable. Try some of these techniques to ensure you can see the world.
Deal with Your Student Debt
When you first leave college, one of your greatest concerns is probably your student debt. It’s hanging over your head, and you want to get rid of it as soon as possible. But there’s a lot of it, and you have other expenses to take care of too. How can you travel when you have so much money to repay? The first thing you should do is look into Obama student loan forgiveness. You might be able to have some or all of your debt removed so you no longer have to repay. The next thing to do is consider consolidating your loans or managing them in another way. Create a budget to ensure you’re making timely payment.
Lock Down a Job First
Going traveling straight after graduation sounds great. However, you’re unlikely to have much money. Maybe your parents will be kind enough to loan or gift you some. But once it’s run out, that’s it. Before you set off on your travels, it’s a good idea to find your first post-college job. Here’s the crucial part: you need one with good vacation time. Of course, that shouldn’t be your only criterion. But a steady income coupled with flexible vacation time will allow you to travel more.
Travel Frugally
Traveling doesn’t have to mean 5-star hotel and first class flights. You can see so much more if you’re willing to budget your travels properly. You can save by staying in hostels or even camping. You can find cheap places to eat or perhaps avoid eating out altogether. If you stay in a hostel or maybe a homestay, you can cook for yourself. Book your trips at the right times to get the best deals. Go to the right destinations too, where you can get more for your money.
Combine Work and Travel
Here’s another idea: work as you travel. You can look for work programs in various countries that allow you to experience a new country and earn money. You could work as an au pair or in hospitality. There’s seasonal work and other opportunities. You could also consider volunteering or combining travel with studying. You can get experience in the workforce while also gaining life experience. You might even learn a new language.
Traveling after college is achievable if you go about it in the right way. Consider your dreams carefully to plan them successfully.
Steffi Says... 
No student debt – everything gratissssss !
Lock down a job – as long as I don’t manage to blow up the labs with any bizarre chemical reaction, got that one spot on!
Travel frugally – considering I rarely stay inside a hotel for more than a coupla hours, I’d just sleep on the benches If I could! Most probably knowing my luck though, I’d get picked up as a vagrant and spend the holiday growling behind bars…
Combine work and travel – in my former line of work, used to that a lot. Wouldn’t recommend though, took me to some …let’s say places where you’d rather not spend your honeymoon in ! Unless you’re Irish, that is, and mad as fuck!
Cheers!
-W
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In Malta we are really lucky, that we have the option to study for free; but unfortunately this is not a possibility in most countries around the world!
When it comes to accommodation, nowadays I’ve learned to make use of airbnb, which seems to have a lot of “cheap” options, but not to the extend of hostels. I have stayed in a hostel once, and we were enough people to have a room of our own. I think when staying in a hostel, you have to travel light and not leave any valuables unattended which could be a downer, if you plan on staying there for a while (I always travel with cameras, tablet or sometimes my laptop as it is so much easier to communicate with family and check emails in this manner than through a smartphone!)
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Aye, bed ‘n’ breakfasts are the best. When all is said and done, you’re not gonna spend a lot of time inside hotels/motels or what not (what’s the point…unless you’ve got company? Than totally different story…ahem) Aye hostels are a good option as well – just if you’re planning on doing that, travel light on the outset – or else you’ll have to travel light when you leave, ‘cos everything would have done a David Copperfield thingy you know! Well…still don’t think you’ll be carrying that new laptop of yours around aye? (Please don’t, if it gets stolen, you’ll be pissed, I’d probably be around and I’ll end beaten up! And I need the team bonus on Conquer!) So hostels are a good choice 😉
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Nay, I have a traveling laptop for my traveling 😛 And that is why I prefer cottages / apartments etc. Besides, I dont feel like going out to eat every day, and it turns out cheaper if you can make your own dinner 🙂 then watch a movie or chill on a sofa before bed time. I would not travel with the new laptop – I am not THAT crazy (Well, unless I am relocating… one can dream!). We still have not teamed up on Conquer. I am at level 55 now, you?
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Naahh..if you go out and eat when on a trip, you’ll just end up wasting your cash getting ripped off as a tourist. Me, I either raid a fast food joint, or else (done it a coupla times m_m ) when I had to be in a hotel, carry some sealing bags with me and raid the breakfast buffet table :p Ahhh…you English breakfast, how much I love you….Then away the whole day munching on sausages and bacon! As for you being Level 55… damn, that almost 20 more levels on me (cueeee download on my office computer :p :p). I hope you better not have used those XP potions yet…
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